Virginia Wine Tasting Weekend

Beth and I did a wine tasting weekend in Loudoun County VA this weekend and this post will share notes on the four vineyards we visited.  I will start with some general comments and then talk about each of the wineries facilities, tasting options, food options, and my appraisal of their wines. 

General Comments

Loudoun County in Virginia, north and west of Dulles Airport,  has the highest per capita income of any county in this country.  It has also developed a very strong wine industry.  The Loudoun County Wine Trail Guide has entries for 52 wineries grouped into six geographic clusters.  The terroir is similar to Western Europe and the primary grapes grown there are:

• Red Grapes: Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Nebbiolo, Norton, and Tennat
• White Grapes: Viognier, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Petit Mansang, and Alberino

Many of the wineries have been around long enough to have mature vines that are producing very good quality grapes.  Some of the vineyards are also purchasing grapes from other regions around the country for some of their wines.  One of the vineyards we visited has no vineyards and purchases all of their grapes.  For several reasons I will mention when I talk about them, this was the visit we enjoyed the least. 

We arrived at the first vineyard each day within a few minutes of their opening at 11:00 AM and there were a few cars in the parking lot and no crowds.  We started both visits with one of their wine flights for tasting.  We chose one that had both red and white wines and had at least some of their higher end wines.  By getting there early we had a dedicated person to walk us through each of the wines with no interruptions.  When our questions and comments indicated that we knew a little about wines, they got into more details for us and each added a couple of tastes of wines that were not part of the standard flight.  We have found at wine tastings in many countries that having an intelligent conversation about the wines often leads to getting more wines, and better wines, than their standard offering.  From the tasting we each selected a glass of wine that we wanted to have with lunch, ordered food, and moved to a table to enjoy the lunch.  That was about Noon and both places then had much larger crowds by then so people were not getting the personalized attention we had gotten by arriving when they opened  and we were very glad we had gotten there early.    

If there was one consistent negative to the experience it was that the prices on the wines ranged from a little overpriced to very overpriced.  We enjoyed all the wines that we tasted but were not tempted to buy most of them, because of the price.  There are two reasons that generally drive the higher prices.  First is if the vineyard has any retailers putting their wines on the shelf, they have to protect those resellers and have a pretty high list price so the retailer can make some money and still make money if they put any of them on sale.  The second reason is if they have only a few or no retailers putting their wines on the shelf, the income they generate to stay in operation comes from people buying wines when they visit.  For people who are wine novices, a higher price can appear to be an indication that these wines are of premium quality.  If they like the wines in their tasting, the only chance to have them again is to buy that wine while they are there. 

The other consistent element is encouraging people to join their wine club which is a commitment to a certain number of wines per year.  The entry level club membership is generally three wines in each of four shipments a year or six wines in two shipments, both giving you a case of their wines each year.  Higher level memberships for two or three cases per year have higher discounts and other fringe benefits like free tastings and invitation to members only facilities and events.  The vineyard we liked the least was approaching obnoxious in their sales pitch to join their club.  We did join one of the clubs and that was the one who only mentioned the club at the start of the tasting and that was it. 

We stayed at the Spring Hill Suites in Ashburn because Marriott had given us a free night but we had to use it by May 15th. The hotel was convenient to the wineries we chose.

Wine tastings and driving do not go together well.  For Saturday we did a wine tasting and then had a glass of wine with our pizza from 11:00 to 1:00.  We sipped some water and relaxed until 1:30 and then drove 30 minutes to the second winery where we had a scheduled tasting at 2:00 that came with bread, cheese, and charcuterie.  We again relaxed for about an hour and drove back to our hotel where we read and rested for a couple of hours.  We then drove ten minutes to a winery with a full restaurant for dinner.  On Sunday we again did a flight tasting and then had lunch with a glass of wine that we enjoyed from the tasting.  They told us we could stay as long as we liked so we had a second glass of wine and dessert and then relaxed and took some pictures of their beautiful facility for an hour before driving home.  We were there for four hours, and they were fine with that.  We had planned to visit a second winery on the way home but agreed we had enough wine to drink and would save that other winery for a future visit.  It is certainly possible to visit three wineries in a day, and even more if you are doing ones close together.  But you are not safe to drive when you have that much to drink.  Please be considerate of the other people in your car and the pedestrians and other cars on the road and limit the amount you drink. 

Four Wineries We Visited

Below is our review of the four wineries that we visited, listed in chronological order, not starting with the one we liked the most. 

Stone Tower Winery – 19925 Hogsback Mountain Road, Leesburg. 

This was a one hour drive from our house on a Saturday morning and we got there a few minutes after 11:00 and could park close to the Harvest Barn Tasting Room.  They have a second tasting room for club members.  The Harvest Barn has two large bars that you can stand at to get guided tastings of different flight offerings.  You can also order glasses or bottles of wine and take them to tables that they have inside and outside. 

We chose a flight of six wines to taste and had two of their sparkling wines, a Rose, a Sauvignon Blanc, their Pinot Noir, and their Cabernet Franc.  They also poured us their Wind Boar Pursuit, a Bordeaux style blend, and their Port made from the Norton grape, neither of which were on the list of wines that we paid for.  The only wine we did not care for was the Pinot Noir which was a light picnic style Pinot Noir similar to some Napa valley Pinot Noir.  We are huge fans of the Old World style of Pinot Noir as very age worthy and having wonderful complexity.  Some people love the light Pinot Noir but that is not what we enjoy.  All of the other wines I would happily drink if someone was pouring them.  But the two sparkling wines and the Sauvignon Blanc were about double what I would be willing to pay for them – in the $40-50 range.  The red wines were $48-$60.  We liked the Cab Franc the best and it was $52.  I can get very good Cab Fanc for under $35.  I had a glass of the Cab Franc with my lunch and Beth had the Wild Boar Pursuit.   

They have a separate kitchen across an outdoor sitting area and the person who led our tasting recommended the pizza and adding their Hot Honey which added $3 to the price.  It was delicious!   They also had a water cooler with cups, so we did not have to pay for water, unlike some wineries which only sell bottled water.  We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.  By the time we sat down with our pizza it was Noon, and the place was packed.  We were very glad we got there right when it opened. We lingered over the pizza and caught up on email to absorb some of the wine before driving to our second winery.

Of the four vineyards that we visited, this one ended up being ranked third.  We enjoyed the food and the wine and recommend giving it a try.  It finished behind two others only because of the high prices on their wines.

Boxwood Estate Winery – 2042 Burland LN, Middleburg

This was about a 30 minute drive from Stone Tower.  Jack Kent Cooke, who sold the Redskins to Dan Snyder, owns this estate and the facility is very attractive.  They have two interesting tastings, the Estate Paring, and the Cave Tasting Experience.  Both are by appointment.  We chose the Cave Tasting Experience as we were most interested in those five wines.  We booked it for 2:00.  There was one other group at the same time but they were seated in a different section of the room so each of us had our own tasting experience.  The other group was having a very good time and occasionally got a little noisy.  A jacket was recommended since the cellar is at a lower temperature but we were comfortable without our jackets.  Their Deluxe charcuterie board, a $40 item on their menu, was included as part of the tasting which cost $50 each. 

We had their Sauvignon Blanc, Rose, Trellis Red Blend, Topiary Red Blend, and Boxwood Red Blend.  We enjoyed all of them and were surprised that we liked the Topiary more than their Boxwood which is their 2^nd highest price wine.  We bought two bottles, which were $34 each.  The tastings were a nice pour, probably about 2 oz. We did not get any extra pours this time ☹. 

We considered their Wine Club, but they are selecting the wines for each shipment.  We are interested in getting the wines we like, not exploring new wines that we have not tried, so we passed on joining their club. 

Boxwood is ranked second of the four places we visited.  We very much enjoyed the Cave Tasting and recommend visiting this winery and trying that tasting experience.  A reservation is required.

Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant – 19870 Belmont Chase Dr., Ashburn

This restaurant/winery was just 10 minutes from our hotel so we made a reservation there for dinner on Saturday evening.  Unfortunately, we have very few good things to say about that visit.  Cooper’s Hawk is a winery that buys grapes from different regions and makes their own wines, but they have no vineyards of their own.  We were assured that they buy only the BEST grapes from NAPA and other regions, so the winemakers who are in those regions must be using the second-best grapes for their wines.  We had a 7:00 reservation but were not seated until 7:35. When we asked why the delay, we were told they overbook the reservations.  One of the women working the large bar area for wine tastings took pity on us and another couple next to us and gave us a tasting of one of their white wines while we waited.  The waiters are clearly highly incented to get people to join their wine club as he was far more interested in that than in taking our order for food and wine.  I ordered the Jambalaya and had to ask for Tabasco to give it any kind of kick. 

I had a glass of Old Vine Zin with my meal and it was a nice wine.  I would not pay $31 for a bottle, but my only argument is with the price, not with the wine.  Beth had their Pinot Gris with her Chicken Risotto and that was a nice pairing.  I pay under $20 for nice Pinot Gris and this was $29 a bottle.  The per glass price was only $10.50 for each of them and I have no argument with that as a restaurant price. 

The restaurant and winery are highly rated on Yelp but we were very disappointed in the long wait for the table and nothing after that gave u any reason to want to go back there.  This was a clear last place choice of the four wineries we visited. 

Bluemont Vineyard – 18755 Foggy Bottom Rd, Bluemont

This winery was the furthest away from us and it was a 90 minute drive home on a Sunday afternoon.  The facility is gorgeous, sitting high on a hill with great views over some of their vineyards and some orchards.  Their vines first produced wines in 2007 so they have mature vies a a history of making very good wine. They also have a close affiliation with the Dirt Farm Brewery and the Henway Hard Cider Barn that are across the street from them and do joint events with them.   We were there right when it opened Sunday morning and went to the Tasting Room where we got their Signature Flight of six wines.  We sat at the end of the bar and for most of the time we were the only ones in there so Forrest, a Master Somme, had plenty of time to talk with us about the wines.  The first wine was an Albarino, and when we talked about our wine tasting trip to Spain and the Albarinio’s we had there, Forrest quickly realized he could have a good conversation with us and was able to learn some things from us, even with his Master Somme background.  Our pours got a little larger and he started pulling other bottles off the shelf for us to try. 

The wines in the flight were their Albarino, Viognier Reserve, Rose of Tennat, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Franc Reserve, and Summit (a blend of Petit Verdot, Tennat, and Cabernet  Franc).  To this he added their Assent White blend, the Donkey Rose, and the Tennat red.  We spent well over an hour with Forrest and really enjoyed the wines and the discussion.  There was a card there to sign up for their Wine club and I had a few questions for Forrest.  If we signed up for the 3 Pack Club, which is three bottles four times a year, could we choose which wines we wanted and would they ship them to us.  Also, if we signed up while we were there, could we have our lunch in the Members Tasting Room up on the balcony where the views are incredible.  The answers were we can totally pick the wines for each shipment, shipping is a flat $20 fee, and yes he would escort us in to get a good table there.  Beth immediately laid claim to two of the first three bottles – the Viognier Reserve and the Rose Tennat.  I agreed and added the Cab Franc Reserve for that first shipment.  We get 15% off the price as club members, which brought the prices closer to what I think is reasonable.  The Cab Franc Reserve, my favorite is only $40 with our discount. We will try a few of the shipments and as long as we are enjoying the wines we can continue it, but we can drop the membership anytime. 

This picture is from the balcony where we had our lunch. On Saturdays and Sundays they have both a Lunch menu and a Brunch Menu.  Beth got the Brunch Flatbread with egg, bacon, and cheese. It was delicious as the picture below shows.  They offered one of us a flight of three wines as a member and Beth had those followed by a glass of the Voignier Reserve.  I had the brisket tacos and they were delicious. The picture at the start of this post is of me enjoying the arrival of our food and wine.  I had the Cab Franc Reserve that was my favorite from the tasting with them.  We decided that we were really enjoying the day and had been there over 3 hours and did not want to go to another winery.  We would get desert with another glass of wine and then drive home.  Both desserts were great.  I tried the Field Blend which was just a couple of dollars less expensive than the Cab Franc Reserve and it was nice but not in the same class as the Cab Franc Reserve.  Beth tried the Petit Manseng white which had a little sweetness, but it was also very nice.  I doubt either of those two will be in any of the shipments that we get. 

Bluemont was clearly our first choice for wines, food, tasting experience, and facility. 

I hope this summary of the four wineries was of interest and we strongly recommend giving three of them a try.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.